SLRA member Mike Fischer is mentoring the TARC (Team America Rocket Challenge) team at Belleville West High School. At our December meeting, Mike told us about the team's work and the club members present voted to donate $100 to the Belleville West team to help with building materials and motors. Since the meeting, Mike has passed along these words of thanks and a wish list. If any club members have any spare materials or motors applicable to the project and would like to help the team out by donating them, please bring them to the January meeting.

Merry Christmas! Many thanks to all who offered to help my TARC team. Other donations, (parts, motors, etc.), I will pick up at the next meeting.

The first prototype is all Apogee components. Payload bay 66mm (BT80), booster 41mm (BT60) with a 29mm MMT. Hard, heavy (PVC?) transition, foam egg protector and NC, 1/16 balsa fins.
One flight so far on an Econoline F. Two fins broke on the way up. Too thin, too large and grain direction incorrect. Estimated altitude too low.
They will need more motors. I have an Aerotech 29/40-120 and a Cessaroni three grain case they can use. E or F impulse.
They would do better with a 56mm (BT70) payload bay and a 24mm (BT50) booster. It I can convince them of that they will need everything. Tubes, transitions, nose cones, motors.
Not very specific, but we still don't know what motors will be used. They are simulating everything in RockSim but still need actual test flights. And the design is not finalized.
They need to make most of the decisions themselves. I answer questions and advise. Like fin grain direction and weigh each component. They were ~300gm over RockSim's estimates.
Any scrap pieces you have laying around, if not in the final rocket, will be used to hone building skills or teach. ("Here's a box of junk. Build a rocket.")

Thanks for your help.

May you all have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, (and no rain for a while) Mike Fischer